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Who Is in Control of Death?
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Satan does not possess the power to
directly take human life. If such were the case, all Christians would be dead,
for he is our “enemy.” Ordinarily, when people die, it is not because the Lord
intervenes and takes the spirit from the body regardless of whether the person
was “good” or “evil” - it simply is a natural process, resulting from man’s
rejection of divine law at the beginning of human history. The Lord,
therefore, allows death to take us as a process - but we are not
empowered to say, in any specific case, God “took” him or her, unless
divine revelation indicates it
By Wayne Jackson
“Happy are the dead
who die in the Lord from henceforth, yes, says the Spirit, they may rest from
their labors, for their works follow with them” (Revelation 14:13).
When a Christian
loved one dies, folks often say, “God called him home.”
Yet scripture seems
to say that the devil has the “power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
Who does cause
death?"
Let us first
consider several general Bible truths.
God is both the
author and sustainer of life (Acts 17:25,28; 1 Timothy 6:13).
Since Jehovah is
all-powerful, he obviously has the ability to terminate human life, as he did
in the case of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:7).
Too, he has the
power to lengthen life.
He extended
Hezekiah’s time by 15 years (2 Kings 20:6), either providentially, more likely
miraculously, or perhaps a combination of both.
He can even restore
life, as he did by raising Jesus from the dead (Romans 1:4).
While it is clear
that in ancient times God occasionally operated directly, in
manipulating the cessation or restoration of human life, these events were
supernatural (miraculous), with very specific designs in view.
Such are not to be
considered as divine procedure for today (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).
For example, during
the days of Moses, a man named Korah (who was Moses’ cousin) initiated a
rebellion against the prophet of God and his brother, Aaron (Numbers 16:3).
As a result, they
stood in opposition to Jehovah himself, because Moses and Aaron represented the
Lord (see verse 30).
Accordingly, God determined
to punish these rebels by taking their lives.
A sign was to be
given to document the fact that the judgment was divinely imposed.
Moses said: “If
these men die the common death of all men. . . Jehovah has not sent me” (verse 29).
Of special interest
is the term “common.”
It signifies the
ordinary end of human life in which God is not directly involved.
Ordinarily, when
people die, it is not because the Lord intervenes and takes the spirit from the
body (James 2:26) — regardless of whether the person was “good” or “evil.”
It simply is a
natural process, ultimately resulting from man’s rejection of divine law at the
beginning of human history (Genesis 2:17; 3:22; Romans 5:12).
The Lord,
therefore, allows death to take us as a process.
But we are not
empowered to say, in any specific case, God “took” him or her,
unless divine revelation indicates it (cf. Genesis 5:24).
Having said that,
what does the text mean which declares that the devil “has the power of
death” (Hebrews 2:14)?
First, it must be
stated emphatically that Satan does not possess the power to directly take
human life.
If such were the
case, all Christian people would be dead, for he is our “enemy” (Matthew 13:28).
The book of Job
demonstrates this truth as well.
Satan could only
afflict the patriarch as Jehovah allowed, and the Lord refused to grant
permission for Job’s life to be terminated (Job 2:6).
God is greater than
his adversary (cf. 1 John 4:4).
The reference to
Satan’s “power of death” is doubtless an allusion to the Tempter’s role
in the fall of humanity at the beginning of time.
Death reigns as a
result of sin (Romans 5:12).
Since the devil
introduced sin, he is characterized as the “murderer” of the human
family (John 8:44).
Death, therefore,
is an appointment for us all (Hebrews 9:27 — with the exception of those who
are alive at the time of Christ’s return — 1 Corinthians 15:51).
Inasmuch as Satan
ultimately shares a heavy responsible for the sin-death equation, in a manner
of speaking, he thus is said to have “the power of death.”
Not in a direct sense,
but only in an historical, associated sense.
The happy ending to
this tragedy, however, is seen in the fact that Jesus, by his own resurrection
from the dead, and the inspired promise that he is the “firstfruits” of
those who are to follow, has, through the gospel, “brought life and
immortality to light” (2 Timothy 1:10).
And that blessed “hope”
(cf. Acts 24:15) has delivered his people from the slavish “fear of
death” (Hebrews 2:15).
In our finer
moments, therefore, we are able to say, “I desire to depart and be with the
Lord, for it is very far better” (cf. Philippians 1:23).
Again, we “are
willing rather to be absent from the body,” so that we may be “at home
with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Our sweet refrain
can be, therefore: “Happy are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth,
yes, says the Spirit, they may rest from their labors, for their works follow
with them” (Revelation 14:13).
Let us, therefore,
attempt to put these matters of this “life” and “death” into a
sharper focus, and prepare for our own demise.
Boyd
Wayne Jackson
was born at Old Hickory, Tennessee on August 29, 1937. His parents were Harry
Boyd Jackson and Rubye Hardeman (Porch) Jackson.
Wayne
attended the College of Evangelists in Tupelo, Mississippi. His first full-time
work began shortly thereafter in Delta, Colorado for two years. From 1961 until
2017, he preached for the East Main Street church of Christ in Stockton,
California.
Wayne
earned an A.A. degree from Stockton College, a B.A. from Sacramento Baptist
College and an M.A. from Alabama Christian School of religion.
Wayne
has written for and edited the Christian Courier since its inception
in 1965. He has written more than thirty books on a variety of biblical topics
including The Bible and Science, Creation, Evolution, and the Age of
the Earth, and The Bible on Trial. He has written commentaries covering
all books of the Bible, including a one-volume commentary on the New Testament.
The Christian
Courier began
as a small Bible study journal mailed to readers each month. It was designed to
present the teaching of Jesus in a simple, lucid style not characterized by
ostentation or inflated language. It is written for average Christians — to help
them become more knowledgeable in God’s Word, to fortify their faith in the
Savior, and to equip them for defending the truth and living righteously in a
sinful world.
Soul
Sleep And The Bible
